Could a dog find its’ way back home Through a dark cornfield With a busted up nose? Ziggin’-zaggin’ through the rows of maize Comes upon an apple tree Knows that he is safe Chorus: Woohoo-oo Get along little doggie Woohoo-oo don’t be messin’ with no rattlesnakes Woohoo-oo Get along little doggie Woohoo-oo don’t be messin’ with no rattlesnakes Could a bluebird with a broken wing Make its way back to its nest way up high? Hoppin’ around the roots of the apple tree Its little chirps wakes the dog where he sleeps Chorus: Woohoo-oo Get along little birdie Woohoo-oo don’t be messin’ with no rattlesnakes Woohoo-oo Get along little birdie Woohoo-oo don’t be messin’ with no rattlesnakes Little doggie peeks his head around The trunk of the apple tree Sees the bird on the ground Now did that rattlesnake get you too? Fool you with that fun rattlin’ sound Sometimes you can find a friend In the most uncommon of places In the most uncommon of faces Woohoo-oo Get along little birdie, little doggie Woohoo-oo you’ve found yourself a new friend Woohoo-oo Get along little birdie, little doggie Woohoo-oo you’ve found someone to help you mend Woohoo-oo Get along little birdie, little doggie Woohoo-oo you’ve found someone who understands You’ve found someone who understands ©James Arlowe 2012

Ballad of Blind Joe Stranded on the edge of the South Dakota plains With the Indian cowboys and the rival Chinese gangs I was searchin’ for a purpose, a purpose to ease my mind Just on legitimate fact I knew I’d never find When I heard: Hey there boys we’ve got you surrounded We’ll smoke you out before dawn Hey there boys we’ve got you surrounded Hand over Blind Joe and then we’ll be gone In the corner Blind Joe sat amidst the hustle and bustle Hell, you would’ve thought Blind Joe was deaf fore he never moved a muscle A scar ran down the middle of his eye and that eye was milky white He sat up to speak and the whole room went quiet He said: Listen boys, they’ve only got us surrounded We’ve gotten out of worse jams before Listen boys, we’re only surrounded Calm yourselves and act like the criminals that you are Well he always plays it so cool don’t he said Red Feather to Danny Lee I say we toss him out the front door and right on to his knees Blind Joe tipped back his hat and said “You better think twice on that idea, See I got Anna Lee and Tiger Lilly tied to the railroad tracks And that train is rollin’ near…”: And all of them boys got all up in commotion Pointing their knives at Blind Joes throat All of them boys stopped in their commotion When they heard the whistle blow and that locomotive choke Now Sheriff McGinn was a mighty man who never took no flack He intentionally donned a gold tooth and he paints his ceilings black So when he awakes in the morning and that light comes shining through He knows exactly what’s in store, what’s in store for me and you Back at the bar Joe was pinned to the wall, picture frame dug in his spine He said “I’ll take care of your needs, if you take care of mine Get me out of here quickly and I’ll take you to the girls Before the only thing that’s left are Tiger Lilly’s curls: And Danny Lee and Red Feather abided Letting loose their grip of Blind Joe Danny Lee and Red Feather resigned to the idea Of getting Blind Joe out that door The cowering barkeep shouted “There’s a trap door in the basement! A long an treacherous passage way that leads to the railway station” Red was clutching on to a lock of Tiger Lilly’s hair, the rage that once was in his eyes was now riddled with despair “We’ll never make it on time, my baby’s surely done” Danny gave him a slap and said “this ain’t no time for crying boy, we’ve gotta run”: There and then the Sheriff knew something was awry You could hear a pin drop on the plains No wind was blowing, the dust stood still The only sound was that locomotive train As they dashed and they darted through the underground caverns McGinn and his boys were on the chase they knew exactly what was happening For Red and Danny and Blind Joe who were traveling through the dark- Up ahead a speck of light, a little glimmer of hope They gasped for air as they fell into the sun Covered in soot from head to toe Joe walked out unfazed staring down the Sheriff’s .44: The story then goes all dark from there There’s lots of talk going round about the truth Some say it was all a fix That the two men were working in cahoots But I couldn’t say which way or that Nor could I say I really care You can fuss over the Who, Why or When The What, the How or Where Now I’m still sitting at this bar working on a three-pronged point of view I know that there’s more angles but I’ve pared it down to the essential few I’m waiting on Mr. J he said we’re gonna take a little ride Another man who’s sailed Virgils river, died and come back to life The kind of man you want in your corner, the kind of dude you want on your side Another man who has seen death first hand and knows how precious is this life: Another man who’s shaken deaths hand and said “Well thank you kindly for thinking of me But not this time, I’ve got too much to do I’ll see ya when I’m a hundred and three” ©James Arlowe 2012

Wicked ways in a wicked world and I come home to nothing Dark house on a dark street Thunderous rain pourin’ on my new shoes My new suede shoes Mary Lou, Mary Lou what am I gonna do with you? From within a dream I head myself shout Mary Lou Mary Lou, what in the world am I gonna do with you? See I’m so far from drying up Or drying out I can control the rising tide Keep ‘em in check ‘til I let them play Storm clouds call me by my real name: Gringo Numero Uno Gringo Numero Uno No snow fall without my word The summer breeze doesn’t turn The weathervane without my say Crowds rollin’ in The rest runnin’ in reverse A smirk and a fork Ready to stick the pin To the cork board Mary Lou, Mary Lou what am I gonna do with you? I’ve got my coat on and I’m ready to cut loose Mary Lou, Mary Lou what in the world am I gonna do with you? I ain’t got time to ponder no alternate Universe Getting caught in a fishermen’s net Looking up to see the blue skies You know playing crazy all the time Can get so tiring Can get so damn tiring Ikons dangle from the necks of the pious Without the slightest regard for the highest Creator, Matriarch, or Benefactor Or whichever faction you represent Or whichever faction you represent Mary Lou, Mary Lou what in the world am I gonna do with you? My patichka you treat me so unkind Mary Lou, Mary Lou what in the world am I gonna do with you? Every step I take is a landmine Fall in where you think you might be wanted Jump from rooftop to rooftop Get harassed Get taunted Then just move on Then just move on ©James Arlowe 2012

She knows how to make me laugh She knows how to turn me on She knows how to get to the heart of me She knows how to string me along Sometimes she can get so uptight But that ain’t nothing that can’t be fixed Open up your hands and close your eyes Baby I’ve got you a gift Leave your makeup in its case There’s a world inside we must explore We’ll make a blanket fort all our own There’s a universe in your eyes I just can’t ignore She knows how to make me work for it She knows how to make me squirm And if this love don’t kill me those long legs will surely Have me fighting for air Well I ain’t never been a jealous man and I ain’t gonna start with you It takes a little bit of the give and take Whatcha trying to prove She’s got a hundred locks on her imaginary fences I got a ring of keys No need to call the locksmith I’m a man with a plan And a bolt cutter is a mighty fine plan B She knows how to make me smile She knows how to make me beg She knows how to point me in the right direction She knows how to get me to shake my leg Well if you want to kiss for hours, days or weeks or years As the song goes If he loves you so Then its in his kiss Yeah its in this kiss She is passionate and sensuous Can turn on a dime and give you change Complex, mysterious, boisterous, mischievous Her beauty’ll hit you so hard you’re rearranged She knows how to tickle my fancy She knows how to pop a cork Ain’t afraid to get down and dirty in the mud And looks pretty good in nothing but One of my collared shirts Lets disconnect all the phone lines Unplug the T.V. too Hide away all the computer screens On this Monday morning it’s just me and you On this Monday morning Its just Me and you ©James Arlowe 2013

Cast Away I brush my teeth with the salt of the sea As the horizon begins to glow Everyday it’s row, row, row Everyday row By the light of the moon I sing my tune In the crows nest I sleep Everyday it’s row, row, row Everyday row When the storm rages abound And no shelter is left to be found And the sails must be brought in In the stillness of the day After the waves have had their way And the sun beats down mercilessly There is no one On the sea But me I dream of the shore and the old saloon My little miss and my old dog too Now it’s just row, row, row Everyday row Oh what I’d give for a can of beans A nice steak or an ice cream cone Now its just row, row, row Row boys, row If I ever get a hold of Poseidon I’d run him right through with his own trident And chain him for eternity to dry land Forever bound to the sand Within sight of the sea For casting this fate upon me There is no one On the sea But me I wash myself with the salt of the sea As the horizon begins to dim Everyday it’s row, row, row Everyday row By the blanket of stars and fading vermillion sky In this crows nest I’ll surely die Now it’s just row, row, row Everyday row ©James Arlowe 2012

Metamorphoses She came into the darkened room Like a Rio woman son Chewing on a silver spoon Polishing her tommy gun Said- what’d you give me two for? She said- I’ll give you three if you ask for more Hit me with a buckshot A bloody lip forget me not Chorus: Hey You’re a new borne thriller now Won’t you dance with me You’re a new borne thriller now Come on babe You’re a new borne thriller now Five and Dime chums Slippin away with the Navajo guns A kick the can game curse Like the tail of a comet written on the back of a sonnet A Cape Canaveral stunt At the bright side of dawn Won’t you pass me a hit of that morphine drip? I got Rock n’ Roll hands I got Rock n’ Roll feet Got a piss and vinegar attitude that ain’t mellowing with age I’m cinchin’, lineating, double helix traversing through illuminations Chorus: Hey You’re a new borne thriller now Won’t you dance with me You’re a new borne thriller now Come on babe You’re a new borne thriller now I’ve got my initials stamped on your endorphins Of both my birth name and alias’ They’ve tried to chain me but now they’re wearing mine And I’m taking ‘em for a walk Yes I’m taking ‘em for a walk I got Rock n’ Roll hands I got Rock n’ Roll feet Got a piss and vinegar attitude that ain’t mellowing with age I’m cinchin’, lineating, double helix traversing through illuminations I dive in and take your turn I won and won to find the sun I need to two And I need six I wanna… Take your pick Go ahead and take your pick Go ahead and take your pick Chorus: Hey You’re a new borne thriller now Won’t you dance with me You’re a new borne thriller now Come on babe You’re a new borne thriller now She came into the darkened room Like a Rio woman son Chewing on a silver spoon Saying take your pick… Take your pick…. Take your pick… Take your pick… ©James Arlowe 2014

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